Combined spring and snubber for railway car trucks



Oct 17, 1950 R. e. TILLOU 5 5, 7

;' COMBINED SPRING AND SNUBBER FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS 2 ShetS-Shee-t 1 ITLVen/or fij chard G. I ZZOU.

R. e. TILLOU COMBINED SPRING AND SNUBBER FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS 'Fiiedse p 13, 1948 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 In'u'e n/or:

Patented Oct. 17, 1950 UNITED STATES COMBINED, SPRING AND SNUBBER FOR RAILWAY CAR 'IlftUiLKFi Richard G. Tillou, LombardpIlli, assignor raw. H. Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill.,;a corporation of Delaware Applicationseptember 13, 1948, SerialNo. 49,045

This invention relates to improved-combined spring and snubber for railway car trucks.

The main objectof the invention is :to provide a supporting spring. for railway car trucks which has means forsnubbingtheaction of thespring combined therewith and formed as an integral part of the same.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinaft'er following. i

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a top plan view of portions of the spring follower plate members of a truck spring cluster, illustrating: my improved combined spring and snubber in connection therewith. Figure 2-is a vertical sectional View, corresponding substantially to the offset line.2- -2 of Figure 1. Figure iiis a horizontal sectional view, corresponding. substantially to the line, .i-3 of Figure 2. Figurefdiis a frontielevational view of the improved combined spring and snubber shown in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a side elevational view of Figure 4, looking from right to left in said figure. Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the combined spring and snubber, as manufactured and before the friction elements thereof have been brought into assembled relation with each other. Figure 7 is a side elevational view of Figure 6, looking from right to left in said figure. Figure 8 is a view,

similar to Figure 6, illustrating a step of the procedure of assembling the friction elements, Figure 9 is a view, similar to Figure 7, illustrating a further step of the procedure of assembling the friction elements.

Referring to the drawings, |[I -lll indicate the 5 Claims. (cras -9) axis of the spring proper, and a vertically dis posect end, section I13 at right i angles to thethori' zontalgsection. Thelsection. 1310f the upper: tang:

top and bottom spring follower plates of a spring cluster of a railway car truck. These spring follower plates are of the usual design, with the exception that they are modified slightly, as hereinafter pointed out, to accommodate my improved combined spring and snubber.

The improved combined spring and snubber, as shown in the drawings-comprises broadly a coiled helical spring A having friction elements B-B formed integral therewith.

The spring A is in the form of a helical coil interposed between the top and bottom follower plates lD-l 0 of the spring cluster of a railway car truck. The spring A has the tangs at the upper a horizontal section 12 substantially radial to the Y.

extends downwardly and that ofi the lower tang."

extendsupwardly. The outer end portionsofthe: sections ifi-AS are flattened to provide thefric tion, elements B-,-B which are: in. the form: of plates. The platelike friction'elements B'-B are inisliding contact with eachother ontheirinnen sides, which sideslpresentfiat' friction surfaces i i-M. The spring A is coiled so that it? exerts pressure; to forcibly press the friction elements B--B against each otherin the: assembled condi tionof thesame. I i i In manufacturing; my improved combined spring, and snubb'er, the procedure is preferably as; fol-lows: The spring, A is coiled as shownin Figures 6 and '7, with the sections l3l3'=of the: upper and lower tangs bent; respectively upward-- lyganddowmvarmmbut reversely, arranged. inside by side relation with respect to their positions in the completely assembled condition of the device, that is, the depending section l3 of the top tang is at the left hand side of the upstanding section I3 of the bottom tang. As shown, the sectionsi3-J3 are preferably also spaced laterally from each other. In assembling the friction elements BB of the sections l3 l3 with each other, the spring illustrated in Figures 6 Jand '7 is forcibly stretched lengthwise, as shown in Figure 8, to vertically separate the friction elements BB so that the ends thereof will clear each other. While in this stretched condition, the top and bottom end portions of the spring are I turned in reverse directions to swing the upper and lower friction elements B--B past each. other, that is, the upper element to the right and the lower element to the left, as viewed in Figure 7, to

position the upper friction element B to the right of the lower element B so that the same will engage each other on their friction surfaces I l-I4 when the spring is allowed to contract, as shown in Figure 9, and return to its normal contracted position, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. As will be evidentfln displacing the friction elements BB from thepositions shown in Figure 7 to their assembled condition shown in Figure 9, the spring A illustrated in Figures 6 and '7 is given a decided twistin uncoiling direction, thus placing the same under tortional strain whereby the torque of the same acts to forcibly press and hold the friction elements B--B intight engagement with each other.

My improved combined spring and snu'bber is substituted for one or more of the coil spring amber;

3 units of a cluster of truck springs, and in the present instance is illustrated as substituted for the central unit of a five unit cluster. The usual spring follower plates I 9-40 of such a spring cluster are provided with flanges |-l5, as illustrated in the drawing, for centering the outer coil of the central spring unit. In carrying out my invention, one of these flanges of each spring follower plate is cut out, or notched, to accommodate the corresponding extended tang of the spring, as shown most clearly in Figure 3, the cut out or notched portion being indicated by I6.

The operation of my improved combined spring and snubber is as follows: Upon the spring cluster of a railway car truck being compressed between the top and bottom spring follower plates of the cluster, my combined spring and snubber, which is interposed between these follower plates, is compressed therewith. As the coil spring A of the device is compressed, the upper friction element B is moved downwardly with respect to the lower element B, sliding on the latter to provide the desired frictional resistance to snub the action of the truck springs. As the spring follower plates ill-l0 are separated vertically during recoil of the truck springs, and during the recoil action of the spring A, the friction element B of the upper tang of the spring moves upwardly on the lower friction element B, thus snubbing the recoil action of the spring A.

I claim:

1. In a combined spring and snubber, the com- Joination with a helically coiled spring member;

of a pair of vertically disposed, cooperating friction elements in lengthwise sliding engagement with each other and formed integral with the coils at the upper and lower ends of said spring member.

2. In a combined spring and snubber, the combination with a helically coiled spring member;

4 of a pair of relatively vertically disposed, cooperating friction elements in lengthwise slidingengagement with each other and integral withthe top and bottom tangs of said spring member.

3. In a combined spring and snubber, the combination with a helically coiled spring member; of a pair of relatively slidable, vertically disposed, cooperating friction elements formed integral with said spring member, each of said elements comprising an arm forming a continuation of the corresponding end coil of said spring member, and a friction plate member integral with said arm, said arm extending horizontally from said spring member to one side thereof, and each of said plates extending from the outer end of the corresponding arm at right angles thereto.

4. A helically coiled spring having the tangs at the upper and lower ends projecting outwardly beyond one side of the spring proper, said tangs having respectively downwardly and upwardly bent end portions in sliding frictional engagement with each other..

5. A helically coiled spring having tangs at the upper and lower ends having horizontal portions disposed substantially radially to the central vertical axis of the spring, and respectively depending and upstanding extensions on said horizontal portions in sliding frictional contact with each other.

RICHARD G. TILLOU.

REFERENCES CITED The following'references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Wikander May 24, 1932 

